By Nurat Uthman
Ghana’s newly elected President John Mahama has announced plans to investigate his predecessor’s contested $400 million National Cathedral project, a stalled religious landmark that for critics become a symbol of fiscal irresponsibility.
Mahama and his National Democratic Congress or NDC party easily won the December election after voters punished President Nana Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for economic mismanagement and high living costs.
The National Cathedral, envisioned by Akufo-Addo as a tribute to God for his 2016 electoral victory, was initially billed as a privately funded initiative. But allegations that $58 million in public funds had been spent — and charges of financial impropriety — sparked public outrage.
Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) late last year had recommended an audit into the project, citing procurement breaches.
“We will soon activate such an investigation,” Mahama said at a thanksgiving service this week. While he did not rule out completing the cathedral, he hinted at a more modest approach, noting, “any decisions moving forward will prioritise accountability and national interest”.
Set on a 23,000 square metre site in the heart of Accra, the cathedral was designed to include a 5,000-seat auditorium, chapels, a baptistery, a choir school, an art gallery, and multipurpose spaces.
But three years after construction stalled, the site remains a gaping crater. Some argue the project contributed to the electoral defeat of Akufo-Addo and his NPP party in December.
